Treatment And Care

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#3300CC" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="home.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="DSTW Homepage"><U><IMG SRC="11b5e1b0.gif" border=0 width="94" height="27" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B><table border='0' cellspacing='2' cellpadding='2'><tr><td align="center"></td><td align='center'><a href='http://server.iad.liveperson.net/hc/53149936/?cmd=file&file=visitorWantsToChat&site=53149936&byhref=1' target='chat53149936' onClick="javascript:window.open('http://server.iad.liveperson.net/hc/53149936/?cmd=file&file=visitorWantsToChat&site=53149936&referrer='+escape(document.location),'chat53149936','width=472,height=320');return false;" ><img src='http://server.iad.liveperson.net/hc/53149936/?cmd=repstate&site=53149936&&ver=1&category=en;woman;4' name='hcIcon' width=160 height=65 border=0></a></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td align='center'><a href='http://www.liveperson.com' style='text-decoration:none'><font face='Arial' size='-2' color='#333333'><span style='font-size: 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif'>Live chat by<font color='#475780'> Live</font><font color='#56A145'>Person</font></span></font></a></td></tr></table></B></div> <div> <B><script language='javascript' src='http://server.iad.liveperson.net/hc/53149936/x.js?cmd=file&file=chatScript3&site=53149936&&category=en;woman;4'> </script></B></div> <div> <A HREF="home.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="DSTW Homepage"><U><IMG SRC="11b5e1b0.gif" border=0 width="94" height="27" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <I><B><U>CANCER FACTS</U></B></I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cancer Facts"><U><I><B>What is Cancer?</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Early Signs of Cancer"><U><I><B>Early Signs of Cancer</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Diagnosis and Tests"><U><I><B>Diagnosis and Tests</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <I><B>Treatment And Care</B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Types of Treatment"><U><I><B>Types of Treatment</B></I></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#0066FF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Don't Say That Word</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Arial" >    </FONT> |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dont Say That Word"><U>home</U></A>                                                                                                         <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="0a2cb3a0.png" border=0 width="203" height="58" ALT="Bitmap Image" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Early Signs of Cancer"><U>Early Signs of Cancer</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Diagnosis and Tests"><U>Diagnosis and Tests</U></A>   |   <B>Treatment And Care</B>   |   <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Types of Treatment"><U>Types of Treatment</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="All Clear"><U>All Clear</U></A></div> <div> Treatment And Care</div> <div> Treatment usually begins soon after cancer is diagnosed. You can discuss all the options with your doctors and nurses, and they should take your wishes into account.</div> <bR> <div> Not all local hospitals can treat every type of <B>cancer</B>, and you may be referred to a specialist cancer centre. Wherever you are treated, you should have help available from a team of health professionals who co-ordinate your care at hospital and home.</div> <bR> <div> If you are working, or at school or college, you may need to take time off for treatment and recovery.</div> <bR> <div> <B>After treatment</B></div> <bR> <div> It can take a while to get over the effects of your treatment, so this is a time to eat properly, get plenty of rest and help your own recovery. You should be given advice about taking care of yourself after treatment, but if you are not, ask your healthcare professionals. They may refer you to a dietitian, for example, who can give expert advice on food. You may feel low or worried, and you may feel that this is the most vulnerable time for you, but remember that you can still talk to your doctors or telephone staff on the ward or department where you received treatment. It may also be useful to talk to a counsellor or a member of a cancer support group. Information about self help and support groups and helpful organisations is available on this website.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Clinical trials</B></div> <bR> <div> Your doctor may ask you whether you are willing to take part in a clinical trial. These are research studies involving patients which compare a new or different type of medical care with the best treatments currently available. If your doctor does ask you to take part, they should explain everything that it involves. It is up to you whether you take part. If you do, you will be asked to sign a form giving your consent. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Further treatment</B></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Sometimes the original cancer (primary cancer) will return, or a new area of growth will be found (secondary cancer). This is called a recurrence. This can be a very worrying time but it does not mean that the cancer cannot be treated successfully. Your doctor will probably recommend another course o</FONT>f therapy or <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >surgery.</FONT></div> <div> If, however, you are told that further treatment or surgery will not help, this does not mean that nothing more can be done. It might mean that there are no more treatment options available to cure the cancer but it will certainly not mean that nothing more can be done for you. There will certainly be treatment available to control the symptoms caused by the cancer.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Long-term monitoring and support</B></div> <bR> <div> If the cancer seems to be responding well to treatment, then doctors will probably still want you to come back to the hospital out-patient clinics at regular intervals for a check-up. As time goes by, these visits are likely to become less frequent and then cease if there are no problems. Even if your cancer is not responding well to treatment, most people want to spend as little time in hospital as possible. Your GP should arrange for community services to help you live at home if you need them. This might include help with household tasks, or continuing advice and support from nurses.</div> <bR> <div> <B>The future</B></div> <bR> <div> There is always a future after a diagnosis of cancer, though timescales vary. Although there is always a chance that cancer will recur, many people become entirely free of the disease and many more live for years without problems associated with their cancer. As time goes by, most people find the initial shock and the effects of treatment pass, and they can think once again about things other than cancer.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>